HOME OFFICE DECLARES COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION UNLAWFUL

Proposals from the Local Government Commission which would lead to two police forces operating in the same counties...

Proposals from the Local Government Commission which would lead to two police forces operating in the same counties are unlawful, according to the Home Office.

The commission has suggested splitting Suffolk into four new authority areas, one of which, Yartoft would combine Waveney with Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. However, in its consultation leaflet the commission says police force boundaries would remain unchanged.

But legal experts from the Home Office have now declared this unlawful, and have said the whole of Yartoft would have to be policed by one force.

The public consultation period for both counties ends on September 28, after which the commission will put forward final proposals for government approval.

Northamptonshire CC has been granted permission by the government to use £70m of capital receipts to help balance its books after commissioners warned the council will not be able to set a balanced budget this year.

An LGC subscription...

...gives you access to LGCplus.com, containing an unparalleled database of tens of thousands of articles offering the news, data, guidance and case studies that councils need to withstand cuts and improve services